Blowin' In The Wind
by Kailorien
Summary: Stars at the end of Eclispe but with Bella/Edwards wedding included . Those that were meant to have imprinted Sam/Emily, Jared/Kim etc have either fallen in love, or they haven't. Imprinting was ruined by the devilspawn, hence I refuse to adhere 2 it
1. Chapter 1

_How many roads must a man walk down  
Before you call him a man?  
Yes, n how many seas must a white dove sail  
Before she sleeps in the sand?  
Yes, n how many times must the cannon balls fly  
Before they're forever banned?  
The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind,  
The answer is blowin in the wind._

**Chapter One**

The last of the sun's rays flickered through the canopy of the forest and reflected on the windshield as Leah cruised the highway. It was a muggy afternoon, the temperature was just right for a thunderstorm and she was excited to get home.

Her fingers tapped in time to the music playing on her iPod as it echoed off of her speakers. A leather brown bag, packed full to the brim sat on the passenger seat and she glanced at it briefly, it held most, if not all, of her possessions.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Among those possessions were the gifts she'd brought with her from California for her mother and brother. Her brother, Seth would love the necklace she had found for him, some surfy sort of symbol thingy, he was right into all of that now days and she hoped her mom would like what she'd brought for her too.

Three years had passed since she had left La Push, Washington, for good. She'd seen her family when they had come to visit at Christmas the year before, but other than that, it had been too long. School had been going well, she'd embraced the Arts and was a natural dancer.

That was part of the reason she was now visiting her family. School was over for now and summer was here; she had some important decisions to make about her future and wanted her mother's opinion.

A flash of red and blue lights caught her attention in her rear vision mirror and she snapped from her dreaming and back to reality.

With a sigh, she reluctantly pulled her truck onto the side of the road, and brought the engine to a stop and awaited her fate.

She put her face in her hands and moaned. She knew she was going too fast, but had hoped she wouldn't be caught. She could hear the crunch of the gravel as the cop got out of his patrol car and walked up to her window and tapped on it, motioning her to roll it down.

"License and Registration please miss."

Leah looked up sheepishly as she fumbled through her purse. She had to do a double take.

"Chief Swan?"

The Police Chief raised an eyebrow, his mustache twitched slightly as he recognized the question her voice.

"Who's askin'?" he quizzed cautiously.

A smile brightened Leah's face, she may just get out of the speeding fine that was surely about to head her way.

"Leah Clearwater, Sue's daughter, from La Push!"

A sudden flash of recognition crossed his face and his eyes lit up as he gave her a great big smile.

"Well, well, Leah Clearwater! Aren't you all grown up? What are you doing back in these parts, didn't you take off to college or something?"

Leah laughed, "Yes, I did. I study dance down in California now days. How are you? How's Forks? Have you been keeping an eye out for my family? I hope Seth hasn't been in any trouble..."

"I'm good. I'm good," he nodded, relaxing his police chief posture and leaning against her truck. "Forks is same old, same old. Not much new. Had a bit of trouble with bears in the spring and the occasional drop-kicks who like to fart about with flares and the sort on holidays, but everything else is fine. Your family seems to be ok. I don't see much of them these days. You're mom's pretty heavily involved in the Quileute tribe stuff now. Seems she's taken up some of your Dad's old duties and the likes."

Leah wasn't sure, but for a moment, she thought she heard a tinge of regret in Charlie's voice. Charlie had been there for her family when her father had died five years ago, even when she had left home, he was still pretty close with her mom. Leah had even thought that their friendship may have gone further that plain support and comfort, but her mom had never said anything than that, she was always a very private person. Obviously, things hadn't worked out.

"And Seth? The rest of the gang? They haven't been causing any chaos or havoc?"

Charlie stopped reminiscing on the past and returned her curious smile with an answer, "Nope. Young Jacob Black's been gone as long as you have, Billy's spending more time at home, now that the Rebecca has moved back with her family, which I think is good. He hears from Jacob occasionally, I think. Your brother mainly hassles Embry and Paul and helps Rachel take care of the little ones. Did you know Paul and Rachel have kids now? Twins..."

Charlie rambled for a little longer, she was a little surprised. Everyone had changed so much since she'd left. Her mom had mentioned something about Paul and Rachel's wedding, but she guessed it had slipped her memory about the twins. Seth hadn't said anything either, that was strange.

After a few more moments and questions about her time away at school, Chief Swan allowed Leah to continue on her way, giving her a light warning about speeding and a small wink before driving off towards Forks.

Leah was once again alone. Her music played softly and she stopped to think a little before she started her engine to be on her way.

Were things really that different in La Push?

_'Rachel was a mom, and iPaul was a father?'_ She huffed, that was a surprise.

Her heart ached a little at the thought of Jacob. They'd grown to be great friends before she had left. More than great friends, she was his other half for so long, and he hers, just not in the romantic sense. She hadn't seen or heard from him in years. She really hoped he got his happy ending, even if it wasn't the way he had originally planned it to be.

Chief Swan hadn't mentioned anything about Sam or Emily, but that was ok. She heard from Emily every couple of months. Sam had turned out to be a great father, and they were expecting their third child by Christmas.

Leah was glad. Her life had definitely not been easy, and the whole Sam/Emily triangle had been like walking in slow motion through hell with nails stapled into her feet, but things worked out for the best.

She hadn't been with anyone else since Sam. She never saw any need. School and Dance were the large contributing loves in her life and she had initially moved away from La Push to get away from all that relationship crap and sort her own head out. She had figured, that if she could leave La Push, she could leave behind and forget about all of what had happened, forget about the heartache that went with it.

Now she wasn't so sure.

She took a deep breath, started the ignition and fastened her hands tightly to the steering wheel.

She was different now, and so was everyone else. Sure, some thing might still be the same, but there was going to be enough that was different, that things would be better this time. She was sure of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_I want to see my family  
My wife and child are waiting for me  
I've got to go home  
I've been so alone, you see_

There was a slight tap on the door and Seth bounced to his feet to get it. He was expecting Jared over to come and play PlayStation and have a couple of drinks, all very tame, considering he still lived with his mom.

Speaking of his mother, she'd left him a note to put the roast in the oven... an hour ago. Seth cursed, just as he opened to door.

"Hello baby brother,"

Seth's jaw dropped. It took a couple of minutes to register who was standing on the porch in front of him.

"LEAH?"

"Close your mouth Short Stack and carry this to my room," she grinned while holding out her bag.

It was only a matter of seconds and Leah had the wind knocked out of her as she was crushed in a huge hug.

"Can't breathe..." she choked.

"Oh, sorry," Seth said sheepishly and put her down on the floor gently.

She looked him over, impressed by his growth both in height and width, he'd done some filling out since she'd seen him a year ago.

"Wow, guess I can't call you Short Stack anymore eh?" she grinned, "Hi."

"Hey," he replied, still in shock.

Leah rolled her eyes and pushed past him, dumping her bag in the hall.

"Where's mom?"

"At work..... Crap! The roast!" Seth bolted past and into the kitchen. She could hear him opening and shutting things before finally switching the oven on. He came running back into the hall.

"What are you doing here?"

She laughed, "Ah, nice to see you too!"

Seth grinned, "No seriously, how long are you here for?"

"I'm not sure... Is that going to be a problem?"

"What? No way!" he replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her upstairs towards her old bedroom, "Its just I wanna know if I should send Jared away tonight so I can spend some down time with my sister, ya know?"

Leah gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Its ok bro, I've been traveling all day. I think I'm gonna try and have an early night."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Slow down you crazy child  
You're so ambitious for a juvenile  
But then if you're so smart tell me why  
Are you still so afraid?  
Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?  
You better cool it off before you burn it out  
You got so much to do and only  
So many hours in a day_

_But you know that when the truth is told  
That you can get what you want  
Or you can just get old  
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through  
When will you realize...Vienna waits for you._

Leah awoke to the delicious smells of carved roast lamb and garlic drifting up from the kitchen window. There was a burst of laughter downstairs and Leah blinked sleepily a few times before standing up to stretch.

Jared must have decided to stay here for dinner, and her mother must be home. No one had woke her up, which was rather strange.

She rubbed her eyes, found her faded blue jeans that she had kicked off and thrown onto the floor and pulled them up over her black underwear. Company meant wandering around in nearly nothing was out of the question. She took a quick glance in the mirror. Ugh. She rubbed away a trace of mascara that had smudged while she was sleeping and ran her hands through her long black mane of hair.

It would have to do. It was only the old pack anyway.

Following the mouth watering aroma, she made her way down the stairs and swung around into the brightly lit kitchen.

Woah. There were a lot of people here.

"Leah!" it was her mother.

She looked thin. It was the first thing Leah noticed, but pushed the thought aside as she quickly crossed the room to embrace her Ma.

There were a lot of kisses and hugs as she was welcomed home by her mother and relative family.

Emily and Sam had joined them for dinner. Emily greeted Leah with tears of happiness and held her close. Sam gave her a polite hug, but a warm smile and then proudly showed of his children.

Bronson, a quiet and shy four year old with a head full of black curls and Soreya the bubbly two year old with dimples. Nice kids.

Jared had a surprisingly quiet and shy hello. Leah rolled her eyes and clipped him over the back of the head before giving him a fierce hug.

"Hey, miss me?"

Jared was slightly taken aback. He hadn't seen Leah since she had left town all those years ago. The Leah he had known back then wouldn't have given him a hug, she would have kicked him the balls and told him to piss off.

She was hot too. He'd seen her naked before, obviously, with the whole Pack thing that she used to be apart of, but he'd never seen her look quite so fine. He felt the heat creeping up the side of his neck and prayed to God it hadn't reached his cheeks.

Seth kicked him underneath the table and he was brought back to reality.

"Uh yeah, I guess..." he replied, adverting his eyes from her chest to her deep brown eyes that mocked him. He couldn't hold them there, so hastily found something interesting on the wall to stare at.

Leah winked at Seth and pretty soon, the formalities were over and they were able to enjoy the meal.

Later that evening, once Sam and Emily had left, taking their children home and Seth and Leah's mom had gone upstairs to bed, the three sat downstairs on the couch and were playing the PlayStation.

Leah really wasn't paying too much attention, she was too busy thinking about her to do list for tomorrow. First thing she was going to start looking for a summer job, she had, after all, already decided to stay for the summer.

Jared nudged Seth with his elbow.

"_Dude, your sister is different_."

Tongue sticking out as he concentrated on winning the motorbike race he was currently playing, Seth grunted a reply.

It was late, Leah was still tired from her travels and so she stood and stretched, not missing Jared's curious eyes as she raised her arms above her head. She smiled to herself, she'd changed more than her personality while away at college. Her body was perfectly supple and lithe, it had to be for her dancing. It was a little different to when the Pack boys had seen her last, she was just tiny back then, as strong as she had been, it was all artificial strength, nowadays, she had a killer body and wasn't ashamed, but proud of it.

"Well boys, I'm heading to bed. See you in the morning Sethy-boo. Nice seeing you again Jared."

Jared stood and awkwardly brushed his hands against his jeans, "Uh, the pack, well, and the girls are having a bit of a bonfire tomorrow night, down at First Beach, you gonna come?"

Seth broke his concentration and raised an eyebrow at his friend. _Why was Jared sweating?_

Leah shrugged lightly, "Maybe. Night boys," and proceeded upstairs.

A couch cushion landed fair and square in Jared's stomach and he made something of an '_oomph_' sound.

Seth glared at him, "**Stop** starring."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_I tell my love to wreck it all  
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall  
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my  
Right in the moment this order's tall_

_I told you to be patient  
I told you to be fine  
I told you to be balanced  
I told you to be kind  
In the morning I'll be with you  
But it will be a different "kind"  
I'll be holding all the tickets  
And you'll be owning all the fines._

It was cloudy and overcast the next morning and Leah woke up late. She had quickly gone downstairs to see if she'd made it in time to make her mom a cup of coffee before she had left, but had missed her by about half an hour, according to Seth. He was sitting there enjoying pancakes.

"So, are you coming tonight?" he asked casually.

"Oh yeah, that." she replied. "Who's all going again?"

"All the boys, plus a few girls from school more than likely."

Leah screwed up her nose. "School girls? Seth please, I'll be the oldest one there!"

"Emily, Rachel and Rebecca are going to be there. Its been ages since you've seen the twins. You should come."

Leah shrugged and sculled the last of her tea. "I'll see. I gotta go. Does your bike still work?"

"Y..yes," Seth replied hesitantly.

"Well, can I borrow it?"

"You're not going to destroy this one are you?" he asked warily.

Leah rolled her eyes, "Does this look like a face that intends to throw itself against a tree?...again?"

Only minutes later, Leah was screaming through the small streets of La Push on her brothers dirt bike. She knew exactly where she was heading and it was only a fifteen minute ride away. A smile graced her face as she relished the cold wind on her face and its bite as it hurled itself against her body and raged through her hair, sending it billowing out behind her.

She felt so alive. Much better than she had expected coming back to La Push. For some reason she had expected to feel miserable and completely burdened by returning to the place of her past.

Her face was still glowing in excitement as she walked into the barn of the local Forks riding stables. She paused to stroke a few of the horses that stuck their heads out of their stalls to greet her curiously.

She had always wanted a horse. Its something she had hounded her dad for relentlessly when she was a small child. They could never afford one, of course, but the dream had always been there. At least, until all the whole transforming into a wolf thing kinda happened and then owning a horse was out of the question, that and the fact that the whole wolf thing killed her father. Literally.

It was the only explanation, as far as she could put together. That and her father's high cholesterol, which hadn't helped of course, had triggered the heart attack that sent Harry Clearwater to his grave early, she still partially blamed herself for that.

Shrugging off her sudden gloomy mood, she headed towards the main office.

"Can I help you?"

She just about jumped ten feet in the air and spun around. A young man paused, leaning on a pitchfork he was using to clean out stalls and looked her over carefully. He pulled his black stetson off of his head and wiped his brow with the back of his arm.

Leah caught her breath and then reigned in her curiosity. She was here on a mission, not to check out the local talent.

"I'm looking for the manager. They around?"

The man nodded in the direction of the paddock just out the other end of the barn.

"He's out with the thoroughbreds, anything I can help you with?"

"Can you give me a job?"

The man's face lit up with a lopsided smirk.

Something sparked inside Leah at that moment, recognition perhaps? She vaguely shook her head. She didn't know anyone who looked like him and was horsey. It was impossible.

"Nope. Can't help you. I'm just the hired help myself. You'll need to see Justin for that." Again, he nodded in the direction of the western paddock.

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

She quickly turned and walked away, trying to ignore the ...whatever it was... that was suddenly frustrating her.

It didn't take her long to find the manager, he was pulling a saddle off his horse and resting it on the fence. He gave the chestnut horse a slap on the whither and turned it loose before turning and coming about to face her.

Leah allowed herself to look him over quickly and grinned. Since when did North-West Washington house such good looking men.

He was tall, with broad shoulders, which she was sure were well muscled underneath the blue collared shirt he wore tucked neatly into his black Levi's. His white hat cast a light shadow over his well chiseled features and brooding blue eyes.

"Why, hello there," he said, giving her a dimpled grin as he took her in with his surprised gaze. "And what can I do to help you?"

Leah recognized the cockiness in his voice and her eyes sparked at the challenge instantly.

She gave a charming smile and held out her hand in return.

"I'm Leah Clearwater, and I was wondering if you had any work going around the place?"

He took her hand and shook it firmly.

"Leah..." he said her name like it was a memory falling into place.

Their hands lingered before he released hers and she brushed her hair back behind her ears confidently.

"Can you ride?"

"Yes," She didn't mention it was years ago on one of Emily's horses at the Makah Rez.

"How are you around kids?"

Leah raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I guess. I mean, I'm not really qualified to judge in that area. I'm a dancer."

"A dancer?" he asked surprised.

"Yes, but I know how to work hard, and be committed to a task. I've loved horses pretty much since I could walk."

"Right." he nodded. "Well Leah Clearwater, I believe you've got yourself a job. Weekday mornings, Six to Twelve. Mucking' out stalls, exercising horses and helping out with the kiddy lessons at ten am. Wage will be $14.20 per hour, until the end of your four week probation. All good?"

Leah beamed, "Sounds great!" How the hell she got the job, she had no idea. But smiling obviously helped. "I'll see you on Monday morning then Mr....?"

The man snorted and gave her a wink, "The names Justin Langdon, and its just Justin, Mr Langdon was my father and he was a selfish old bastard." He took her hand in his and again shook it firmly.

"See you Monday Leah."

She couldn't help it, she was so ridiculously proud of herself that she returned his flirtatious smile with one of her own before walking away with a small bounce in her step.

On her way out through the barn she passed the man she'd met earlier and shot him a grin of victory.

He tipped his hat and covered his mouth to hide his own amusement as he watched her climb back onto the dirt bike parked out the front and spray the gravel as she took off at high speed.

Well, Jared was right. She was definitely hot. But from what else he had seen, she hadn't changed that much. She still had all the spunk she possessed when she left town in a hurry all those years ago. Shaking his head and placing his hat back on, Embry Call returned to work. It seemed with Leah Clearwater back in town, life was suddenly about to get a whole lot more interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note: **A HUGE big thank you to those that are reading and leave reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and look forward to hearing what you think of this chapter! : )

**Chapter Five**

_And of course I wanna know you better  
But you know the way it goes_

_Well a telegram's no substitute  
when it comes to living proof_

_oh go on  
and write somebody else,  
oh somebody else,  
oh anybody..._

_Your love letter._

Drinks were being handed out and food was laid out on the trestles as the evening began to get underway. People started showing up early and it was turning out to be a bigger affair than Leah had imagined. Unfortunately for her, she was a main attraction after being gone out of town for so long.

Seth sort of hung at the back of the small crowd with Jared and later Quil, all of whom kept looking in her direction and all of whom had done a considerable amount of growing up in the past few years. Jared couldn't seem to stop his eyes wandering, and she started to get a little concerned, maybe she'd have to say something to Seth.

She barely recognized Quil anymore. He had filled out, wore contacts and had a rather devilish charm to him actually. Already, she could see some of her roommates from College having a field day up here in La Push.

Once her mother showed up, She shooed Leah out to join the rest of the young people who had finally started to arrive. Leah finally caught up with The Black Twins, met their children and been embraced in a fierce hug by Paul, who was just out to prove his strength. Leah had to laugh, he hadn't changed much, although he seemed a lot more mellow and simply adored his wife and children which was different to the hot-headed boy she once knew.

She was just starting to really enjoy herself when across the fire she saw something that made her drink very nearly miss her mouth. It was the man from the Stables today, the one with the black hat.

He saw her and their eyes connected briefly, but he was suddenly distracted by Mrs Ateara who took his arm determinedly and dragged him to a group of girls huddled together by the food trestle.

Rachel Black saw her curiosity and looked at her with a pained expression on her face.

"Quil's mom is determined to set Embry up with her niece. Its like she's stolen cupid's arrows and is using them as collateral, regardless of how they both feel. I think Caitlin is interested, but Embry is too polite to say anything."

Leah just about spat her drink everywhere. She thumped her chest as she tried to recover from choking, "That's' Embry Call?" she asked, completely shocked.

Rachel laughed. "Yeah, I know. He's kinda grown up a lot since you were here last eh?"

"Just a little..." Leah replied.

Rachel became suddenly very serious, she drifted off slightly as she spoke her next words, "When Jake left, Embry took it rather badly. No one really knew how hard he was taking it until it was too late. They found him suffering from hypothermia among other things, out on the White Cliffs after three days of searching. He's become a lot more quiet since then and doesn't say much. He's stopped shifting too. He was one of the first. Paul thinks it's because if he reverts to his wolf form, he's constantly reminded of Jake. And you know how close they were. None of us liked it when Jake left, but Embry won't talk about it, not even when we've tried to tell him about the phone calls and postcards we occasionally get from Jake. He doesn't want to know about it."

Leah sighed, "They were really close. I remember how much they meant to each other, they were best friends. How is Jake, Rachel? I've never stopped thinking about him, I had hoped he'd have come home by now."

"To what?" Rachel replied, "To everyone elses happily ever after?" she shook her head sadly, "no, Jake couldn't live with that. Being here only reminds him of Her and none of us really like to talk about her anymore. Too much pain, too much hurt. At least the Cullen's aren't here anymore. The Pack rarely has to shift nowadays, and even then, Sam's passed it onto the younger ones to take charge. He still runs the Pack, obviously, but doesn't shift unless he absolutely has too, Paul's his second now, he still keeps watch occasionally too."

Leah sighed. Maybe things weren't as rosy as they could have been after all. Her heart went out to Embry, she had some idea of the pain he was going through. It took her a long time to get used to the fact that Jake just wanted to be left alone. He wanted to erase his past life and get away from the endless pain it caused. Isn't that what they all wanted, eventually?

The storytellers gathered around the blazing fire as it sent flickering sparks up into the star filled sky. Leah watched Billy Black tell the story of Quileute Creation with true conviction. She saw the pain in his heart when he talked of Ephraim Black and the generations that were to follow of leaders of their tribe, his son was included among them. Billy looked old. He had aged so much that his once beautiful black hair had now started to turn silver. For some reason, this made Leah angry.

How could Jacob do this to his family? How could he do this to his father? Poor Billy, poor Embry. She sighed. _Poor Jake._

They'd all had to face things that were painful, and she had run from her problems for a long time. But she was beginning to move on from that now. She was determined to start fresh.

It was getting late. Many of the people and those with young families had started to head home. Leah told her mom that she'd not be out late. She was just going to take a walk down onto the beach, it had been so long since she'd been there, she felt like she wasn't really home until she felt the cold wet sand underneath her bare feet.

The path was lit clearly by the large pale moon and dancing stars above. The waves crashed heavily on the shore and she tried her hardest to stay above the rocky tide line and dig her toes deep into the black sand. Ah! It was such a beautiful feeling!

A movement ahead caught her eye and before she even got a decent look, she knew it would be Embry.

He was standing, hands in his jean pockets, stetson firmly on his head and just gazing out to sea. He looked like he had a lot on his mind.

'_Oh to hell with it_,' she thought, '_I'm obviously going to be working with him anyway_.'

Against the cold wind, she made her way over to his tall figure and stood beside him, observing the sea as it violently threw itself upon the rocks.

"Hey," she said sheepishly.

Embry looked down at her, offering a small smile, "Hey Leah," he replied.

After a moment of silence, she spoke; "You knew it was me earlier today didn't you, at the stables?"

He grinned again and nodded silently.

"I didn't recognize you. You've changed quite a bit Embry, you're not the boy I remember."

He responded slowly, "In many different ways, none of us are the same Leah. Even you've changed."

Leah shivered with the cold as the spray of the sea carried on the wind and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "I haven't changed that much..." she argued.

"Yes you have..."

"How?" she asked, "You barely even know me anymore..."

Embry took his time and then slowly pulled off his cord jacket, and placed it gently over her shoulders, "You're prettier for a start, you smile a lot more than you used too."

Leah's mouth hung open slightly. He didn't just say that!

She shivered once again as her body adjusted to the heat of the wool lined jacket she now clung too.

The sound of the waves echoed around them, and they stood there, made speechless by the power of the nature surrounding them for what seemed like ages. For some reason, words didn't need to be shared. She felt perfectly comfortable, enjoying the moment of complete silence with him. He didn't feel the need to generate small talk with her either, and for the first time since Jake left, he actually felt some kind of peace.

Embry took a quick glance at his watch.

"It's nearly 3, would you like me to walk you home?"

"Uh, no, that's ok. I have Seth's bike. It won't take me long," she replied, and went to give him back his jacket.

"Keep it for now," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "I'll get it from you later."

The sudden spark of electricity that flew through her body when he touched her made her jump slightly. She looked up at him in surprise and she knew that he had felt it too, she saw the same confusion in his dark brown eyes.

He hesitantly removed his hands, and together they walked back up towards the fire that was now burning down to low coals in silence.

Sam, Jared, Paul, Quil and Seth had somehow made their way back to the fire. Sam and Paul obviously returning after taking their families home to get settled for the night.

The boys looked up as Leah and Embry returned from the beach.

It was slightly awkward.

"Thanks for the jacket." Leah said softly.

Embry nodded.

"Do you want me to ride with you home Leah?" Seth asked from around the fire.

Leah shook her head. "No, it's ok. Thank you though. I'll see you in the morning."

She smiled at the others, "It's good to see you all again.... really, I mean it," she said sincerely.

"It's good to have you home Leah," Sam replied, "You've been missed."

Leah smiled warmly, and hopped on the motorbike. She looked at Embry as she backed out of the bushes she had parked it into, but he wasn't looking at her, instead, he was squatting down and poking a stick in the fire.

Whatever had happened tonight, if anything had happened at all, was all a little too confusing for Leah to try and figure out, at least at this hour of the morning. She pushed it to the back of her mind, and in a matter of minutes she had left the bonfire and was soon home, curled up in her singlet and underwear sound asleep underneath the covers of her bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_We didn't start the fire  
It was always burning  
Since the worlds been turning  
We didn't start the fire  
No we didn't light it  
But we tried to fight it._

Billy Joel cranked loudly from Seth's room at the end of the hall and Leah moaned, no longer able to ignore it.

"SETH!" she yelled, "Turn it DOWN!"

Either he was ignoring her or he just couldn't hear her. It was only a few minutes before she had pulled on her robe and stomped down the hall and started banging on his bedroom door.

After no answer, she forced the door open and nearly died of shock.

"We didn't start the fire!...Elvis Presley, Disneyland.....!! California.... Baseball... Space monkey , mafia..."

Leah clapped her hands firm over her mouth to stop the laughter pouring out uncontrollably.

Before her eyes, in their boxers and socks, air guitarring it like there was no tomorrow was her little brother and his dashing buddy Quil.

"We didn't start the fire.... On and on and on!"

The music faded and she cleared her throat.

"Ahem."

Quil turned to face her and his mouth dropped open in shock. He stumbled backwards, falling onto Seth's messy bed. Seth looked slightly embarrassed, but hid it better than Quil was obviously doing.

"Did we wake you Leah?"

She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest, "You think?"

"Oh, Sorry. We'll turn it off now."

"No please, by all means, keep going! I was enjoying the entertainment!" she gestured and looked over at Quil who had hastily pulled sheets up around his waist. He was redder than beetroot.

Leah sighed, "Please refrain from doing it first thing in the morning again bro, I really could have done with the extra Z's." She turned to leave, "Oh wait," she paused and poked her head back in the room, "Nice dancing Quil, you guys been watching those Britney Spears videos again?"

"I...I... I..." Quil stuttered.

Leah winked.

"I'm cooking eggs for breakfast, be downstairs in ten minutes if you expect any!" and with that she turned on her heel and strutted down the hall.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_Once the neon is gone  
There's still that golden splinter at your side  
His manners are charming  
But who are you fooling  
You're still nobody's bride  
And Bukowski's widow  
Haunts each empty seat on the ferris wheel  
As ghoulish lovers collide in a collage of kisses that they steal  
It's a long slow slide  
It's a long slow slide  
It's a long slow slide  
Down._

Monday came too fast and Leah quickly hit her alarm at five thirty am. She didn't have any trouble getting out of bed because she was nervous as all hell. Justin had called the day before to remind her to to wear suitable riding boots and chaps, as they'd be working horses all morning.

She tried not to think about seeing Embry again. Not that she wanted to try not to think about him, she kept telling herself that she was being ridiculous and shouldn't be feeling so flighty about him anyway. Nothing had happened to make her feel like a silly school girl, or had it?

She growled at herself as she pulled on her blue jeans fastened her boots. She would not think of him, she would avoid him all day, and then she wouldn't HAVE to think about him.

Well that was a short lived proclamation. The first person to greet her at the kitchen door of the main building was Embry Call.

"Morning," he said casually and handed her a cup of steaming coffee.

"Oh thanks," she replied, cursing herself inwardly for her lameness.

"Drink it up; we've got a big morning ahead. We've got to bring the yearlings in from the gully paddock."

Leah blinked; she felt so out of her depth, "The Yearlings? Really?" she tried to fake it, but knew he could see right through her. "Ah, Justin mentioned something about me helping out with the kids today?"

"Yep," Embry grinned, "Hence the reason we need to get a wriggle on."

They quickly made their way over to the stables, where Embry introduced her to the horse she'd mostly be working on, at least to start with.

He was a gorgeous horse and Leah instantly fell in love with him. His big brown eyes were framed by a long flaxen mane that complimented his silky smooth russet coat.

She rubbed the palm of her hand over his white blaze, "What's his name?"

"Jake," Embry said with a grin and shot her a sideways glance.

Leah sneered in amusement. "_Really?_" she glared at him playfully, "Did you give me Jake on purpose?"

Embry laughed, "No..."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Okay, maybe! But he's a good horse. This Jake enjoys doing as he's told, and he doesn't argue, or bite. Just don't try out running him. I think he might have some advantage on you."

Leah grinned, "Its ok. I don't bite either," she said talking to 'Jake', "At least, not very hard and not unless I'm_ really_ hungry."

She heard Embry chuckle as he saddled his own horse.

The morning seemed to fly by. Leah managed to stay fastened in her saddle, Jake was a good horse, and just like Embry promised he would be and did everything he was told. So with little episode, they managed to bring the yearling horses down into the front paddock in a couple of hours.

By nine thirty, they were both ready for a quick cup of coffee before the riding students arrived.

Justin was in the kitchen and he welcome Leah with a large bright smile.

"Good morning Leah. How's your morning gone so far?"

"Great," Leah replied honestly, "I'm a little rusty in the saddle, but I'm in good hands."

"Yes, Embry is quite good with horses and with kids too. He's so popular; I swear kids stop to ask him for his autograph in the streets. I'd be out of business, or at least, a very poor man, if the money rich people didn't want to pay for their only sons and daughters to learn riding skills from the best!"

She had actually been referring to her horse, but the praise Justin had for Embry was very interesting. She had no idea that Embry was into horses at all until she'd arrived back in town last week. He was a skilled rider, she had seen him in action this morning, and was totally envious, but was he really that good?

Embry remained silent, made their coffee and then sat at the end of the table and sipped his while staring at the front page of the local paper.

"Leah;" Justin said quietly, although directly at her, "I was wondering if perhaps, we could catch some lunch in town once you'd finished your shift?"

Leah's response was expected; she felt her body tense and she clammed up, although she hid her anxiety quite well, she knew this was going to get uncomfortable. She didn't want to be having lunch with him; at least, she didn't think so. She wasn't ready for a relationship of any romantic nature, least of all with a man she'd met once before and who was her employer.

"Ah, I'm kinda covered in dirt and smell like horse... besides..." she stammered, "I've gotta pick my mom up from work in Port Angeles when I'm done."

Justin shrugged like her answer hadn't really mattered at all, "That's ok, maybe another time then."

He said it like it was a statement.

Embry watched from underneath the rim of his hat with curiosity. Not many women turned down wealthy landowner's for lunch, let alone The Justin Langdon. He wondered if she really had to pick up Sue from work or whether it was just an excuse.

Leah smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, maybe another time."

Justin nodded, and then focused his attention on Embry.

"Call, can you make sure that Leah meets Chrissy when she shows up for the lunch shift? Leah's to give her all her bank details so she can be paid on time."

"Sure boss," Embry nodded.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence, and Justine picked up his hat from the bench, and walked back out the door, proclaiming he had errands to do in town.

"I guess that's our cue to get back to work then?" Leah said with a sigh.

Embry kicked out the chair beside him, "Drink your coffee."

Leah obeyed, and it wasn't until she'd nearly drained all her coffee that she found the courage to speak again.

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like?" she said quietly, starring into the bottom of her mug.

"Would what have been like?" Embry replied.

"You know," she said, "If there were no monsters and no magic."

Embry put his mug down on the tabletop and replied firmly, "No."

With that, he stood, took his cup to the sink and walked back outside to start work.

Leah sighed, emptied the last of her drink in the sink and followed him. Maybe Embry wasn't the right person to talk about it with. Maybe she should just keep it all locked up where the past couldn't hurt anyone anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_Dig if you will the picture  
Of you and I engaged in a kiss  
The sweat of your body covers me  
Can you my darling  
Can you picture this?_

_Dream if you can a courtyard  
An ocean of violets in bloom  
Animals strike curious poses  
They feel the heat  
The heat between me and you._

The following Friday evening, Leah was still troubled by her thoughts. She'd done the good daughter thing and stayed home with her mom and brother, consumed the dinner prepared for her with little appetite and then excused herself. She needed to get away and think for a bit.

It was quite dark down at first beach. The earth stood still but for the crashing waves.

In the woods behind her, Leah heard the night animals start to awaken. The thought of what she knew was out there, made her shudder a little. She hoped that the young kids of the pack were still relatively alert to all of the nature side of things, because it wasn't vampires she was afraid of. Her fear was based on having to protect herself if a wild animal decided to take a wander on the beach. There were rarely any vampires in the vicinity now days. The Washington area was generally off limits. For a while after the Cullens left, there were lots of curious vampires that often came to an unfortunate end and this must have got back to the Volturi, who by now knew, that with every vampire in the area, the stronger Our People became... and this meant there would be a war on their hands and a challenge to their power. So instead, they chose to steer clear of the area and warned others of their kind to do the same.

It was the wild things that frightened Leah. It had been years since she had changed. She'd worked very hard on her temper, which was easier to control after she and Jake went their separate ways, which in turn made it easier for her to stay human for longer periods of time.

She wasn't sure what would happen if a cougar decided it was going to make a midnight snack out of her. She wasn't sure if should transform, or even if she still could.

She sat down on an old tree trunk that had been washed up on the shore years before, its surface smooth and velvet to touch. She sat sideways, although focusing on the ocean and the sky, she stayed alert to the woods behind her, just in case.

She used to think about her past so much. She lived on the bitterness that came with it. In her opinion, her past would always justify the bitterness and anger she had felt back then, at least, that was how she felt at one time. But life needed to be able to move on, and it took her getting away from her past to be able to realize that.

Her train of thought led her to thinking about Jacob and Embry.

Did Jake realize the effect of his leaving would make his best friend so utterly miserable? Did Embry really know how much Jake needed to get away?

Leah shook her head and sighed softly, they were always so difficult to read, they were back when they were boys, they still were now and she didn't even have a clue how Jake was doing now. She wished she did, she missed him too.

He knew she was down there before he had even seen her brother's bike parked in the lot. It seemed to be the place to come and think for most of the pack these days. When they needed time alone to think about things, it was generally first beach they went to.

Embry hesitated as he stepped onto the slope that led onto the beach. Maybe she didn't want the company? Then again, maybe she did.

Since that Friday night at the Bonfire, when they'd last met on the beach, he had known he had feelings for her. But with those feelings came all the memories of the past, and he wasn't sure he wanted to dig that deep anytime soon.

He didn't care about what anyone thought of him anymore. His feelings for others opinions had long disappeared out the window. Friday night, after he and Leah had returned from the beach and she had in turn, gone home, the older pack guys had asked him to join their fire.

He knew it was more than an invitation to sit down with them.

They were offering him his old place back, with them, it's where he belonged. He knew that now, but it didn't necessarily mean it's where he wanted to be.

Things just weren't the same without Jacob around. The pack were his brothers, if anything, he had come to acknowledge that and know that it was something that was steadfast and couldn't be changed, but just because they were brothers, didn't mean they were always going to agree on things. They wanted to know his opinion on approaching Leah, now that she was back, to rejoin their circle. She was their sister, even if she didn't realize it yet. Just because many of them had fought the past, didn't mean that it hadn't happened. Embry just wasn't sure she had realized that yet.

He whistled a small tune as he slowly made his way down the beach. He didn't want to startle her by suddenly appearing at her side, or be that gloomy shadow of a stranger on the horizon getting closer to where she sat defenseless.

And she looked up, strained her eyes, and smiled.

It was safe to approach.

"Hey you, stop stalking me already," she said playfully.

Embry grinned and replied, "Mind if I join you?"

She patted the space next to her and pulled some seaweed between her fingers. She had started braiding some absentmindedly as she was lost in thought earlier.

"Can't sleep?" she offered.

"Haven't tried," he shrugged. Sleeping was overrated anyway, or so he thought.

He decided to tread carefully. He didn't want the floodgates of the past opened, but it was obvious she was down here doing some steady thinking, just as he was.

"Anything in particular on your mind?" he offered gently.

She half smiled, "I don't think you'd want to hear about it."

"Really?"

"Really." She responded, "What about you? What's got you down at first beach at nearly one in the morning, its too late for you to be up, don't you have to go to the Stables later today?"

He smiled, "Nah I told Justin I needed a weekend off. He wasn't happy, but you get that."

"Justin's an interesting character, that's for sure," she replied, "Did you know he's hit on me at least three times in the past four days? I've only been there a week!"

"Well your an attractive girl Leah, I can see why he's tried," he started, then nearly kicked himself for opening his mouth, "but if its unwanted attention and it gets too much, let me know, and I'll have words with him."

Leah was trying very hard NOT to process what he had just said. She preferred not to think about where this conversation could lead, so instead, she changed the subject.

"So why ARE you down here?"

Embry sighed, picked up a stick and started drawing things in the sand at his feet.

"It's all your fault really..." he started.

"My fault?!" Leah balked, shocked, "What did I do?"

"On Monday, you asked me if I ever thought about it. If I had thought about life if there were no such things as monsters or magic. I was telling you the truth, when I said no. I rarely thought about it, up until then.

Tell me Leah, what do you think would have happened, had none of our past ever occurred, if none of it mattered?"

Leah paused for a moment, taking her time to think about her answer.

"If there we never any monsters, and never any magic, I would have been a better person I think..." she replied, "I would have been less bitter. I wouldn't have wasted half of my youth wallowing in self hatred and regret."

She couldn't help it. Leah felt a tear trickle down from the corner of her eye and run over her cheek. It made a trail to her neck and she wiped it hastily away.

"I would have been there more for my family. I would have been there for my mother and Seth when dad died. Hell, might even still be alive if that was the case!" she sobbed openly, the tears coming freely now.

Embry felt a sudden heaviness in his soul, a sudden urge to reach out, take her in his arms, and hold her until she couldn't cry anymore. Instead, he took her hand in his and held it snugly.

"If it had been that way; Jake, Quil and I would probably have opened our own mechanic shop by now. Jake would have married Bella Swan and we would have all attended their wedding and been perfectly happy for them. They'd probably have had a couple of ratbag kids to keep all of us uncles busy.

If the Cullens didn't exist, then we wouldn't have to worry about the people of Forks and La Push sleeping safely at night or wandering the woods alone and we'd think that the stories Billy and Harry had told around the Bonfires were just that, old stories."

He paused and then dared to brush a strand of hair that had fallen across her face away and tuck it behind and ear. He lifted her chin with his fingertips so her eyes faced his.

"There's a lot of 'What if's' isn't there Embry?" she sniffled, her eyes wide with emotion.

The touch of his hands on her face sent butterflies spinning in cartwheels through her stomach. She wasn't sure what she wanted at this moment, but she was sure about what she didn't want and that was Embry Call to leave her side.

He searched her face with his dark stormy eyes. She tried not to drown in the depth of his gaze as he searched every part of her soul and when he brushed his thumb across her lips, her eyes fluttered to a close as she surrendered to the sensation.

His lips were gentle, soft, like the touch of rolled warm cookie dough and they molded to her own... He cupped her face in both of his hands and she leaned into his touch, connected to him both physically and emotionally. She could break away. She didn't want to, even if her heart and head were screaming at her to stop and run the other way.

It was like her body was on fire, but in the best possible sense. Every part of her felt alive and it felt like she had received a small electric shock to kick start her lonely and aching heart.

Embry was the one to pull away softly, and he rested his forehead upon her own, "I'm sorry...I..."

"...shouldn't have done that..." she whispered nearly breathless, finishing his sentence.

There was an awkward silence. The crickets chirped and an owl hooted in the woods.

Regardless of the beautiful moment just shared, rejection and fear reared their ugly heads and she could feel the butterflies that had only moments ago been doing aerobics now sink to the pit of her stomach and die. She felt ill as the realization of her reckless actions finally hit her.

The wall that she had started to build so carefully around herself the past five years was starting to crumble. She felt vulnerable and very alone, and Embry had just taken a sledge hammer to it.

Leah stood to her feet, her hands reluctantly tearing from his.

"I should go...I...I..I think, I need to get home."

Embry said nothing. He wasn't sure exactly what to say.

She turned, and began to walk away. He felt his heart breaking with every step but his lips were sewn shut and he couldn't utter a word to make her come back.

What had he done? He felt dizzy with questions. He could barely believe it. Had he perhaps dreamed it? But no, there were still traces of her cinnamon and honey chap-stick upon his lips. His tongue ran over them, savoring her taste. Still he could not speak words and he watched with empty eyes as her silhouette disappeared over the horizon.

It wasn't until he heard her bike start that a sound of pure agony breached his lips, but by then, he was too late. She had gone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_I saw you in the wild  
I saw you in the wild  
I saw you in the wild  
I knew you in the wild_

_you were nervous, you were furious  
you were very sure-footed  
dreams and intentions  
full of wonder and amazement  
the fire in your eyes  
you were in your disguise  
you were haunted you were hollow  
you could not see tomorrow_

Seth didn't know what had gone down with Leah since yesterday, but she was in the foulest mood ever. Well, ok, not ever, but she was reminding him of the old Leah.

He'd asked her what was wrong and offered to listen to her, but she slammed her bedroom door in his face and told him to go and dance with his boyfriend.

He mentioned something to their mom after trying to recover from the worded attack of his sister.

"Something must have happened last night mom, do you think she's going to be ok? "

Sue Clearwater patted her young son on his shoulder. She loved that he looked out for his sister, it made her feel more secure knowing that her kids looked out for one another.

"I'm sure things will work themselves out, whatever it is." She replied, although the concern she felt was clearly evident on her face.

Monday came too fast and Leah was dreading going to work. She had camped in her room the rest of the weekend. Hiding from the world; hiding from her demons. When she thought she couldn't cry anymore, she released a floodgate of tears and she's eaten a whole block of chocolate by herself. She didn't enjoy feeling bitter anymore; she didn't enjoy the dark thoughts that tried to entertain her or the pain it reminded her of. At one point, she had become so angry with herself, that her whole body began to shake violently, and she knew all too well what would have happened if she hadn't been completely petrified and shocked into calming down.

God, she was such an idiot! She wasn't sure what to think of the events of Friday night, but she was sure she'd blown it with Embry. She wasn't looking forward to work for that reason.

It was raining. Typical Forks weather had returned to play company with her gloomy mood. She knew the work she had to do this morning, so if she could help it, she was going to avoid Embry at all costs. Work was not the right place to talk or think about what had happened.

She arrived early, and skipped the morning coffee, instead, she went straight the the stables to saddle Jake and get to work.

Riding in the rain wasn't exactly her idea of fun, but it was a good distraction. She had to concentrate as Jake made his way along the steep side of the gully as they went searching for the broodmares. She felt the rain tap on the brim of her hat as it started to grow heavier, maybe coming out on her own wasn't such a smart idea, but it was too late to turn back now.

After taking in the unfamiliar surroundings, she took mental notes of landmarks, so she wouldn't get lost and then she encouraged Jake onwards with the tight squeeze of her calves.

She heard the mares neighing towards the end of the valley, muffled by the sound of the now pouring rain and urged Jake in that direction.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten  
**

_I will write you letters that  
Explain the way I'm thinking now  
I, I will return to you  
What I have taken long before  
I, I will return again  
When it gets dark and day is done_

_And lay me down  
In the hallowed ground  
Down by your side I will stay  
So lay me down_

When Leah hadn't turned up to help with the lesson by nine thirty, something tickled Embry's nerves. He mentioned something to Justin.

"She's probably just got held up in the rain. I'm sure she's fine. If you're really short for a hand with the lesson while she finishes up out there, call Chrissy, she's in early today."

That was beside the point; he wasn't worried about being a hand short for the lesson. He was worried for Leah's safety. In this weather, the Gully was prone to landslides and rock falls, among other things, driving horses in this sort of rain would be difficult for one person, let alone one person with not a lot of experience.

At ten forty, he was well and truly concerned. He had called Chrissy in to help with the lesson. Kids and horses were nervous about the thunder that had just started rolling in over the hills and even though they were in an indoor arena, they decided to do some dismounted bonding activities instead of the dressage lesson planned.

"I'll be back in a second," he said to Chrissy, and ducked out of the arena. He walked briskly through the rain across to the stable and checked Jake's stall. They still weren't back.

He returned hastily to Chrissy, "Do you think you can handle this on your own?"

The young blonde woman frowned, "What's wrong?"

"Its Leah, she's not back yet. She's been up the gully bringing the broodmares in. She's been gone since the beginning of the shift and I don't like the weather."

Chrissy nodded, "Go ahead, we'll be fine. Stay safe Embry!"

"If we're not back in four hours, send out a search party!" he called over his shoulder as he headed to collect his horse.

Thunder clapped across the sky and echoed off of the gully walls. Things were really difficult and Leah could barely see ten feet ahead of her, let alone drive the horses safely.

She'd reached the herd; they were huddling in fear and didn't want to budge.

A small part of her conscience was telling her to leave the herd and get out of that gully, but the rest of her knew she'd be damned if she'd arrive back at the stables empty handed.

Maybe it was her pride, maybe it was sheer stupidity but she was going to do it anyway.

She pushed Jake around the outside edge of the herd and then drove herself forcibly through them.

"Heeeyah!" she growled at the top of her lungs, waving an arm above her head and then bringing it down to smack one of the frightened horses on the rump.

The smell of wet horses and churned mud soaked Leah's nostrils; horses pushed themselves up against her, herding together in fear of the thunderstorm and the lightning that now flashed violently over the trees.

It was like being stuck in the subway during peak hour and trying to reach your train through the thousands of others all trying to do the same thing. Except Leah was surrounded by twenty nervous animals all bigger and stronger than she was on her own calling out frantically to one another and in the midst of a heavy downpour.

With deep breath, she gave Jake a sharp kick with her heels to the flank, which spurred him into the mob, dividing the group just enough to break the tight circle they had created around her and causing them all to move together.

Finally she had them on the move, and in the right direction. She struggled to turn Jake back around through the milling horses, he lost his footing a couple of times, nearly diving headfirst into the mud at their feet and Leah held on for dear life, there was no way she was getting off this horse.

They set off at a quick walk, and she drove the herd in front of her. She was sure she'd have no voice after the amount of yelling she was doing. They were all still so nervous and she tried to keep a balanced atmosphere of calm and haste, as not to send them all into a wild panic.

Thunder continued to slam into the earth on either side of them and the rain only seemed to grow heavier. Horses were moving restlessly down towards the mouth of the gully and she was feeling like she actually had a chance of handling it successfully.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_Oh  
The flame trees will blind the weary driver  
And there's nothing else could set fire to this town  
There's no change  
There's no pace  
Everything within it's place  
Just makes it harder to believe she won't be around_

Embry couldn't believe that he hadn't found Leah or the herd yet. He'd ridden at ridiculous speeds across the slippery landscape for over an hour and he still couldn't find any trace of them. The herd must have wandered further inland than when they'd been spotted the day before, they could be anywhere; Leah may not have even found them yet.

He urged his horse up the last few paces of a small ridge and tried to get a better view of the terrain, it was almost impossible for the rain that drove down in buckets. He was getting a little desperate now. He felt somewhat responsible for Leah being out here on her own. He should have followed her first thing this morning, regardless of what Justin thought.

He was about to move on when he heard in the far distance a shrill chorus of neighing. He strained his ears for it again, and once he had heard it, he turned his horse in that direction.

A large booming roll of thunder seemed to explode directly above them, and Leah tried desperately to keep the herd together. From behind there was a large crackling noise, followed by a rumble. Scared for the first time since she had stopped her life as a Wolf she felt truly terrified. She turned to look in the direction from which they'd come, and her eyes grew wide in fear.

"Heeeyah!!!" she screamed, driving the horses and urging them into a wild gallop. She whipped her reins across Jake's neck, desperate for him to move as fast as he possibly could.

Coming up behind them was a flood of water, tearing down trees and obliterating anything in its path and it was moving fast.

From the walls of the valley Embry saw it all.

For a few seconds he stared on with horror. Watching as Leah was caught up in a wild mob of horses galloping for their lives and away from the muddy and debris littered wall of water that had collapsed from the dam at the other end of the valley.

Snapping back to reality, Embry threw his body weight forward and urged his horse down the side of the gully. The steep incline made it difficult to stay in the saddle and he leaned as far back onto his horses' rump as he could as the horse went thundering downwards.

He held his breath as his horse hastily soared over a fallen tree and landed carefully on the other side.

He reached the bottom in minutes, and quickly turned towards the oncoming horses. He scanned the mob for Leah while trying to keep his mount in control who was now wanting to run with the others of his kind.

"Leah!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed, searching through the heavy rain.

Seconds passed, and soon he was caught up in the mob of horses who were terrified. His horse was rolling its eyes and chomping at the bit, he wanted out of the valley as the other horses were coursing past.

"LEAH!!!" Embry called again.

In the flashes of white, bay, black, brown and cream that flew past him, he still couldn't find Leah. Then he saw Jake galloping madly past.

Leah was no longer in the saddle.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?  
And what did you hear, my darling young one?  
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin',  
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,  
Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin',  
Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin',  
Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin',  
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,  
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,  
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,  
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall._

Fear struck his soul like it had never struck before, not even when the Volturi were in Forks. He felt sick to his gut and he scanned the muddy earth looking for her, he had to find her before that water hit or they'd all be lost.

It was then he saw her, face down in the mud, her body lying awkwardly against the earth.

Desperation was hardly a strong enough description to cover the emotions he felt at the moment. He drove his horse forward and dismounted once he reached his side. He had just enough time to swing his pack off before the animal reared in fear and he lost grip on the reins. It turned and bolted after the rest of the herd in reckless abandon.

He prayed to god that Leah still had some form of healing ability, because there was no time to stop and see what was broken. With strength that seemed to come from nowhere, he pulled her out of churned soil and into his arms.

He turned and fled as fast as his feet would carry them, dodging boulders and trees, scrambling up the side of the gully without stopping.

Leah was lighter than he had expected, but it still made it awkward trying to climb a muddy and steep hill. Nearly out of breath, he stopped nearly halfway up the gully and turned to assess whether or not they were high enough.

With relief he watched as the waves of water went tearing past. White foam drowned large tree trunks that it had gathered on its journey and it continued to roar down towards the opening of the valley.

Embry finally and very carefully lay Leah down on the pine needles at his feet. He checked she was breathing and thanked god her pulse was still beating strong.

"Leah..." he wiped the mud from her face and the hair from her eyes, "Leah, can you hear me?"

He frowned. He had probably done more damage moving her. He wasn't sure if she'd been trampled or had simply come out of the saddle. Quickly, he ran his hands over her body, checking for breaks and or fractures.

Leah groaned in agony as his hands reached her right leg. He winced. Her eyes fluttered open for a second and then her eyes rolled backwards.

"Jake?" she coughed.

"Jake is fine Leah. He's with the other horses. Everything's going to be fine. You just hold on now. Stay with me." he said urgently.

"Jake she's not worth it...." she mumbled, "I don't want to do this anymore..."

It was then Embry realized that it wasn't her horse she had been referring too. Something stabbed him inside his heart. The mention of his once best friend did something painful to him, but at the same time, it made him angry. Where was Jake? Damn him to hell. How could he leave his friends, his family, in such a mess. God knows how many lives he'd entangled in his strange love affair for Bella Swan.

He found himself growling.

A delicate hand reached out to touch his arm.

"Embry?"

"Leah," he breathed, searching her face for any sign of immediate pain, "Leah, honey, can you tell me where you hurt?"

"Don't call me honey," she moaned, "Oh God, my leg!" she tried to reach out to feel it and he pushed her back down firmly.

"No, don't move. Everything is going to be fine, just stay put."

"Don't tell me to stay put Embry Call," she growled, now obviously fully conscious. She winced as she lay back down, "I think I've bruised a rib or two as well..."

"How long has it been since you've changed Leah?" he asked urgently.

"What's it to you?"

He ignored her foul mood.

"How long?"

"Four years or so..."

"Do you think, do you think we heal normally now like normal people, or do you think we still have some sort of advantage?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she retorted, then paled.

"What is it?"

"Oh, God! My dancing. Shit. I hope I'm going to be able to dance after this... ouch!" she cried as his hands ran over an ankle.

"Sorry," he apologized, and then reached for his pack. He took out his flask, "Here, drink this. It'll keep you warm."

"What's in it?" she said warily.

"It's whiskey..."

"Thank you Embry Call," she said, toasting it to him and bringing it to her lips. She took a couple of large gulps.

She saw him look at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Dancing wasn't the only thing I was good at in college..." she reasoned.

He just nodded as he prepared a splint for her leg. He took off his shirt and started tearing it into strips.

"You're as ripped as ever..." she noticed, then felt the heat as red started flooding her cheeks after she realized what she'd just said.

"I don't think now is really the right time to be telling me how hot I am..." Embry smiled, as he carefully placed the homemade splint on her leg and started tying it gently. He turned and winked, "Maybe later..."

Leah smiled back sheepishly, afraid of opening her mouth in case she said something else stupid.

"I don't think we're going to try and trek back to the stables in the condition you're in," He stated, taking a look at their surroundings. "They should be looking for us soon, I think I'll try and build us some protection from the rain and then attempt to start a fire.... if I can find anything dry to burn."

Leah nodded numbly and took another swig from his flask. The pain in her ribs and in her leg had suddenly started to make themselves really well known and she lay back down. At least the carpet of pine needles was soft.

"Will you be ok for a sec? I'm going to see what I can gather together?"

Leah nodded and closed her eyes. Beneath the cover of the trees, the rain wasn't as hard. She was soaking wet anyway, maybe she could just rest for a little while...


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

_When the road gets dark  
And you can no longer see  
Just let my love throw a spark, baby  
Have a little faith in me_

_When the tears you cry  
Are all you can believe  
Just give these loving arms a try, baby  
Have a little faith in me_

It was dark when she woke, it had stopped raining completely and a massive crackling fire was burning while Embry sat besides her staring into it.

"Hey Bear Grylls, caught me a boar to eat yet?" she joked.

"Hey," he smiled back, "How are you feeling? The guys should find us soon, I've made the fire big enough for all of forks to see."

"Like I've been trampled by a mob of horses, you?"

"I think I put my shoulder out by dragging your ass up from the mud," he smirked.

She frowned and glared at him.

His grin only grew wider.

"I'm cold; I don't suppose you have a woolen blanket in your back pocket?"

Embry shook his head, and stood up from where he was seated and came and lay down next to her.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a known fact Leah that two bodies are better than one for staying warm."

"Oh really?" she said sarcastically; as she allowed him snuggle in as close as he could without hurting her. "I heard its better with your clothes off," she wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.

Embry rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around her carefully, "You're clearly drunk or just being extremely bold Leah Clearwater," he cautioned, "Just where is my flask anyway?

"Can't I be a little of both?" she argued.

He ignored her and closed his eyes.

A few moments later...

"Embry?"

"Hm-mm..." he answered sleepily.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he replied, eyes still closed.

"Why did you kiss me the other night?"

She felt his body suddenly tense, he was uncomfortable and she knew he was now very much awake.

"Honest?"

"Honest," she replied softly.

"I wanted too."

"You wanted too?" she asked.

"Since Bella's wedding in fact."

"Really?" she said amazed.

"Yeah..."

"Shit, why didn't you?" she said, still trying to comprehend the information just given to her.

Embry huffed, slightly amused, "You would have had my guts for garters, either that, or Jake would have."

"Pft! Jake wouldn't have cared, he was too busy trying to work out how to deal with his own crap. Me on the other hand..." she smiled, "Yeah you're right, I probably would have."

She felt him chuckle softly behind her.

"What about now?" she asked cheekily.

"Now?"

"Yeah. Was that a one off, or am I going to get to have another shot?"

"Another shot at what?"

"Proving that I've changed. I promise I won't hunt you down or anything afterward..." she smiled.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," he teased, "Besides, I know you've changed Leah."

"Yeah, I guess I have... just a little..." she replied.

There was a comfortable silence as both retreated to their own thoughts for a few minutes.

"Leah?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do?"

She thought about his question seriously. She had been so ready to run from any sign of relationship status at the beginning of the summer. She'd been so scared of opening herself up to anybody ever again that the fact she was lying in Embry's arms now and discussing a possible future was nearly impossible to comprehend.

She felt safe with him, she knew that much. Maybe it was time she started to learn to trust again?

She sighed.

"I'll be honest Embry; you know I'm damaged goods. I may say things to you that will hurt and I'll regret later."

He held her that little bit tighter.

"I'm not going to let you go," he whispered softly in her ear.

Painfully, she shuffled over to face him and look at him directly.

He saw a tear trickling down her cheek, and somehow he knew it wasn't due to the broken bones, or bruised ribs. In her eyes was the look of a lover with a broken heart.

She closed her eyes and brought her lips to his, kissing him tenderly, "I know," she whispered back, her lips brushing against his skin, "I know."

You see, it was never her intention to remain lonely and cynical. She'd thought she had found love once, and was left miserably mistaken; but this time was different. Because, this time; Love had found her.


	14. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

_'Cause If she wanna rock she rocks  
If she wanna roll she rolls  
She can roll with the punches  
Long as she feels like she's in control  
If she wanna stay she stays  
If she wanna go she goes  
She doesn't care how she gets there  
Long as she gets somewhere she knows oh no  
ah na na na na na na na na na na na  
ah na na na na na na na na na na na_

Leah laughed loudly as she was swiftly picked up from the picnic table and thrown over Embry's shoulder before being carted down to the ocean.

It was an unusually hot day in La Push. The family had come together for a barbeque at first beach and after three months with a cast on her leg, Leah was enjoying being able to have complete mobility again, it also helped in her plan to soak Embry with the biggest water pistol she could find.

Seth watched his sister laughing, protesting, and threatening, the whole way down to the beach. He glanced at their mom. She was watching her daughter and Embry too and then she caught his eye and gave him a big warm smile. They were all finally moving on with life now, but it made his heart burst with happiness knowing that Leah was finally content.

Jared was watching the commotion as he ate a hotdog, shaking his head in disgust, "Dude," he said poking Seth in the ribs, "I don't care if she's with Embry now, you're sisters still  
hot... If I had my way with her I'd...."

There was a slight thump as Seth brought his hand up over the back of his friends head and grinned smugly as it made contact.

"Ow!"

"If you had your way; Leah would have tied your balls around you neck by now. So quit perving on my sister! It creeps me out and I don't want to clean up the mess when Embry kills you."

Jared glared, rubbing the spot where Seth's palm had made contact, "I'll take my chances," he mumbled and moved toward the couple splashing in the water.

Seth shook his head in amusement and picked up a can of soda. This was going to be a far more interesting day than he had planned.

Fin.


End file.
